Humans at core of education in tech era: Minister
The future is about thinking smart and learning. The future is about compassion and creativity, and teachers must be right on the top to provide students with the relevant skills in the digital era.”
Hussain Ebrahim Al Hammadi, , Minister of Education
abu dhabi — Education may evolve drastically in the digital era but humans shall remain at the core of the industry, mainly to keep ethics and values intact in the changing world, a top UAE official told an education conference in the Capital.
Hussain Ebrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, said “change is inevitable” as the world moves from an industrial era to an age of technology.
“But as we transform into the technological era, we need to focus on the human part. Ethics and values are very important to protect the civil society from the misuse of information technology,” Al Hammadi said in his keynote speech at the education technology conference BETT, which kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
BETT Middle East 2019 is being held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, carrying the theme “Building a Successful Change Culture to Meet the Evolving Needs of 21st-Century Citizens”.
The conference features two days of collaboration and discussions between educators and technologists, as they seek to find new ways of providing students with future-ready skillsets.
Al Hammadi said: “Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) is the way forward. We must introduce the technological changes in schools.
“The future is about thinking smart and learning. The future is about compassion and creativity, and teachers must be right on the top to provide students with the relevant skills in the digital era.”
And in an effort to promote ethics among UAE students in this age of technology, the minister said the government introduced moral education classes in all schools. Instilling the values of tolerance, nurturing the community spirit, and Supplied photo
developing compassion in pupils are part of country’s education priorities — mainly because the availability of huge data and information today may pose dangers if they are not used wisely and ethically.
Al Hammadi said the UAE is committed to providing pupils with the knowledge and skills they need for the 21st century and beyond. Sharing the same sentiment, British
Consul-General to Dubai and Northern Emirates Andrew Jackson said areas of new technology and AI are “really at the heart of where the world is heading”.
“The UAE and the UK are working together in the integration of technology in all fields and in promoting future skills among students,” said Jackson.